 Salam's here watching the International Daily Roundup. People's dispatch is selection of some of the top stories from around the world. Let's first take a look at today's headlines. El Salvador imposes a state of exception. Contamination detected at an ex-US base in Seoul. Finnish health workers strike for better working conditions. And Italian dock workers reject arms trafficking. Rights groups in El Salvador have raised an alarm about arbitrary detentions in the country. On the 27th of March, the government of President Naïb Bukele declared a state of exception. This was after 87 people were killed in a shocking surge of violence over three days. The government attributed the killing to MS-13. There is evidence, including reports by El Faro, that Bukele's administration had been involved in secret negotiations with the gang. These reportedly include an exchange of privileges for electoral support and a reduction in violence. Bukele has repeatedly denied these accusations. The imposition of an emergency has raised fears of an authoritarian crackdown in El Salvador. The right to association and the right to legal counsel have both been suspended. The period of detention without charge has been extended to 15 days. The government can also intervene in communications without a warrant. Police have arrested over 1400 people so far claiming they were responsible for the recent killings. However, rights groups have stated that among those targeted are leaders of civil society organizations, children and people with no ties to organized crime. The government also imposed a strict lockdown in prisons. On the 30th of March, the Legislative Assembly tightened existing sentences against gang members. As reported by Telesore, this was done without study or parliamentary discussion. Bukele also said that belongings of as many as 16,000 alleged gang members in prison are being seized. Bukele doors are being closed 24 hours a day and the detainee's food is being rationed. Human Rights Watch has stated that this amounts to collective punishment and is a violation of human rights. An investigation has revealed severe contamination at the site of a US military base in Seoul. Control of the Yongsan garrison has been gradually returned to South Korea since December 2020. The Korean Center for Investigative Journalism has obtained the environmental survey of the area. Contaminants above standard levels were found in the soil and groundwater near the South Post's Sinyongsan station. Petroleum-based hydrocarbons exceeded the maximum concentration standards and standard values by as much as 29 times. Arsenic, which is a group 1 carcinogen, exceeded the standard values by almost 2.5 times. Levels of oil polluted in TPH were 11 times more than the purification standard for groundwater. The level of phenol, which is also toxic, was found to be as much as 3 times more. Similar contamination has been found at the base near Sook University station. The level of lead detected there was almost 50 times higher than the standard value, arsenic 5 times higher and the level of petroleum-based hydrocarbons and toxic phenol were twice as much in groundwater. The three sites analyzed in the investigation were agreed for return between the US and South Korea in Feb this year. President-elect Yoon So-kyol has announced intentions to turn the base into Yongsan Park. However, the level of soil and water contamination detected here poses some serious health concerns. As many as 25,000 health workers across six hospital districts in Finland went on strike today, April 1st. The action has been organized by the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses or SUPER and the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals. The central demands raised include immediate recruitments to address an acute staff shortage. Unions are also demanding a 3.6% increase on top of the annual pay rise over the next five years. If the demands are not met by April 15, another 15,000 health workers from seven hospital districts will also join the strike. Meanwhile, unions have also announced a ban on overtime at workplaces which are not part of the strike. On the 30th of March, workers rejected the proposal presented by the National Mediator. They argued that it did not address staffing concerns and the contract increases were lower than previously agreed on. Finland's parliament introduced reforms in the decentralized and publicly funded healthcare system in 2021. Management of health and social services will now be shifted to 21 regional authorities and Helsinki in 2023. Unions have also pointed out that over 30,000 health workers are expected to retire over the next few years. This will put severe strain on the sector unless more staff is hired urgently. People are reportedly also exiting the workforce due to heavy workloads and low salaries. Workers in other sectors, including education, are also preparing for industrial action to demand better working conditions. And finally, dock workers at the Genoa port in Italy observed a 24-hour strike on the 31st of March. The action was organized by the USB-Italia trade union to protest the transport of arms through Italian ports. It was held to coincide with the arrival of Saudi Arabia's Bahri ship, reportedly carrying US weapons. Dock workers were joined by activists from left and anti-war groups and students on Tuesday. They blocked the Genoa port's Ethiopia crossing, raising the slogan, not a penny, a rifle, or soldier for war. Protesters added that Italian ports must not be used for arms trafficking for imperialist wars. USB stated that the Mario Draghi government was dragging Italy further into conflict at the behest of the United States and NATO. The union argued that the price of conflict would be borne by workers through austerity, layoffs, and rising living costs. USB members have monitored and denounced any movement of arms through airports. In Pisa, workers refused to load weapons onto a civilian plane which was officially supposed to carry humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Dock workers in Genoa have a long history of anti-war interventions. The port has been a major transit point for ships carrying weapons, reportedly bound for use in the wars in Ukraine and Yemen. Earlier in March, dock workers also protested the disembarking of camouflaged tanks from a ferry allegedly headed to Ukraine.